Police shoot three armed robbers dead
Police in Kumasi have shot dead three young men suspected to belong
to a gang of armed robbers who have been using sophisticated weapons to
terrorize their victims, before robbing them of their valuables.
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While two of the suspected robbers were gunned down around 9pm Monday, at the Kumasi Central Police Station when they made an attempt to escape from the police, the third victim identified only as Abacha and leader of the gang, was shot around 5 a.m.Tuesday around Esaase, near Akropong in the Atwima District of Ashanti, during an exchange of gunfire with the Police.
A number of weapons, including an AK 47 assault rifle, a Pump action gun, locally manufactured pistols, cartridges, pliers, and machetes were retrieved from the suspected robbers.
The display of the bodies of the threemen at the forecourt of the Buffalo Unit of the police, attracted a large number of people.
Briefing the media about the incident, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Augustine Gyenning, said around 7;30 pm on Monday, some police personnel from the Central Division arrested two of the alleged robbers at Adankwame.
Explaining, he said, the police spotted a Toyota Corolla taxi cab with registration number AS1376-12 at an area called Nketia.
He said the two suspected robbers were among a gang of four who were in the taxi and upon suspicion, the police arrested the two, now deceased, but the other two managed to escape arrest.
He said a search in the taxi revealed one AK 47 assault rifle, with 39 live ammunition, one pump action gun, with 14 live rounds of ammunition, one German pistol, with 18 rounds of 9 mm live ammunition, two machetes, a plier and a commercial vehicle number plate.
According to DCOP Gyenning, it was when the two ex- convicts were being escorted to the Central Police Station to be handed over to the Police Buffalo Unit to assist in their investigations that they disentangled themselves from the police and took to their heels in different directions.
He said in the process, they attempted to scale the wall of the Regional Police Headquarters, compelling the police to shoot them.
He said it was afterwards that they were identified by some robbery victims and linked to some recent robberies in the Kumasi Metropolis and parts of the Ashanti Region.
He said moments afterwards, they picked up intelligence report that helped them to trace the hideout of one gang member, who escaped and had been on their wanted list for some time.
DCOP Gyenning said the police traced the suspect identified as Abacha to Essase, near Akropong in the Atwima district and laid ambush for him.
He said when they spotted the suspect, he opened fire at the Police who also returned fire and in the course of the exchange of gun fire, one of the Policemen got injured and Abacha was fatally injured leading t his death.
He said they were continuing their search for the other suspect who escaped from the police and therefore appealed to the public to help with information that could lead to the arrest of the fugitive.
Describing them as a terrible gang, DCOP Gyenning said on January 8, 2013, the gang attacked Informal Project Micro Finance at the KNUST in broad day light and robbed the clients and staff of the company.
He said in
that robbery, they made away with GHC20,000. He named other victims of
the gang as the Santasi branch of Unity Oil, Noble Dream Financial
company and a Cement Shop at Kotwi.
Story by George Ernest Asare
